Preventing Re-entry

The goal of reunification includes ongoing safety and stability in the family. Preventing the need for children to reenter foster care is a key outcome for child welfare services. Resources include State and local examples.

Re-entry in Child Protective Services: A Rapid Evidence Assessment (PDF - 158 KB)
Ohio Consortium for University-Agency Partnership to Improve Public Child Welfare (2005)
This report provides a description of the existing interventions used to reduce re-entry into foster care and assesses the rigor of the research that has been done to evaluate the interventions.

State and local examples

Child Welfare Outcomes in California: Improving Performance on Foster Care Reentry and Placement Stability: Final Report (PDF - 791 KB)
Osterling, D'Andrade, & Hines (2009)
Identifies strategies or practices States and counties have implemented to address placement stability for children in foster care and re-entry of children into foster care. The study found the strongest research evidence for preventing foster care re-entry through various components of reunification services: specific interventions developed to treat substance abuse, mental health, and domestic violence problems, and to provide parent training and housing assistance.